The Vultures In Italy
by JerinAnn
Summary: Bella and her sister, Bree, are part of the Volutri when they meet a curious coven of vampires called the Cullens. *Note that Riley is a Cullen. On Hiatus
1. Preface

**Preface:**

How unfair is it when you are forced to choose between love and duty, heart and law? Will you choose what you want, or will you choose what you know is right. Isn't love right? No, it isn't; not when it forces you to choose another over one's family.

My sister was forced to make the same choice. I saw the anguished look on her young, beautiful face as she looked between her mate and our leader. She was trying to figure out what was right, something she never had a problem with before.

Her mate stepped forward and took her by the hand. He looked deep in her eyes and nodded his head. Her decision had been made.

Now it's my turn. I can't leave my sister, my love, or the law. I looked toward my lover with an agonizing expression. Would my sister's choice affect the outcome of my own? How can I stand it if I get to keep one of them, but lose the other two forever?

My time was up. I had to make the decision that would change my life forever, for better or for worse. I closed my eyes to shut off the world as I opened my mouth to utter the words that would inevitably change my future.

**A/N: This story will be in Bella's POV unless I say otherwise at the beginning of the chapter. I want to thank my beta vampirelove kittykat ~JerinAnn**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

I slammed her into a wall and sunk my teeth into her pulse point. I could feel the thick blood rushing down my throat. I all but moaned at the taste. It was so good! It tasted sweeter than any chocolate to a human. The scent was of roses and strawberries.

All too soon the body was drained and my throat was aflame again. I sighed and looked for my next meal in the room. Humans were running around the room, trying to find an escape that would lead them away from my coven and me. I smirked as I leapt on a man twice my size. As if they could escape. I mean, we're the Volturi! They couldn't even escape another vampire but still. We're the most powerful coven in the world.

After I finished the man - he wasn't as good as the girl. He tasted a bit… greasy and salty. Really, humans should limit the amount of junk they eat, if not for their sake, for ours - I looked for my sister, Bree. I saw her tackle a blonde boy around seventeen with spiky hair and a t-shirt with the words "Newton's Sporting Goods Store" on it.

I smiled at Bree and walked over to her. She looked up and spotted me. She smiled at me, blood still shining on her lips.

"Was he any good?" I asked my sister, inclining my head towards the dead body she was just finishing by her feet.

"Not really…" she said. "I mean, he tasted fine, it's just… you know…" she trailed off looking at the ground.

I understood what she meant instantly. My sister is talented; she has the ability to see into one's soul by one touch. That ability can be a gift and a curse at the same time. It's a gift to my sister because she can see the pureness of the person and their commitments and beliefs before getting involved with them in any way. The curse, however, is that she can't control it.

Bree tries her hardest to not touch anyone… well, anyone besides me. I'm a shield so I can block any power or physical attack. I don't see a curse in my gift because it is fairly easy to control. Well, there was a curse, just not anymore.

My sister and I were born during the time period where people lead hunts for vampires, werewolves, witches, and many more mythical creatures. Our talents shined eve as humans. They were just not at pronounced and advanced as they are now.

Bree was an excellent judge of character. She could tell if the man next to her was a rapist or murderer. I was always well protected. No one could touch me unless I wanted them to.

So, of course, the townspeople came to the only conclusion their pathetic minds could create: we were witches. We tried to run, and I wouldn't have been caught if I hadn't ran back and tried to free my sister who they had already captured. They tied us to a stake and set it ablaze. My sister cried out in agony while I held back my screams. I didn't want to give those sick bastards any satisfaction.

Then all of a sudden, people were flying. Something faster than my eyes could see had killed them all in less than twenty seconds. A man with eyes as red as rubies had put out our fires and bit us, creating a new agony all of its own.

The pain was worse than anything I ever experienced in my seventeen - almost eighteen - years. My sister was screaming like her life depended on it, but I kept quiet. Deep down, I knew it would do no good to scream.

The pain stopped after three days, three days of endless torture and hearing the screams of Bree. The man who bit us told Bree and me what we were and what happened. He gave us two options. The first was to go out on our own and try to survive by ourselves. The second was to stay with him. We chose the second option and we became known as the English Coven.

It turned out that there were two other members to the coven. His mate and an acquaintance named Felix. We spent half a century with them before the Volutri showed up. They destroyed the man who saved Bree and me along with his mate, but left Felix, Bree, and me alive on one condition: we join their coven. We all quickly agreed because we didn't want to die. We have been members of the guard ever since.

I shook my head as I came back to the present. "And how was he…"

My sister grimaced. "I'll put this as nicely as I can. He's a total perv!"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. That was _so_ like my sister to say something like that. She grinned sheepishly at me.

Aro all of a sudden appeared next to me. "Bella, Bree, I have an assignment for you two. There's an old friend of mine named Carlisle, and is rumored to have quite the coven now. I need you two to go check it out. Take as long as you please. I need a thorough job done, and I need to know what talents any of them might possess. Can you do this, my dears?"

We both nodded. Aro walked way from us quickly after thanking us as he had other more important matters to attend. We looked at each other and smiled. "Spy time!" we shrieked and giggled afterwards.

** A/N: I would like to thank my Beta vampirelove kittykat for Betaing my story.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Bree and I grabbed out cloaks and ran out of the huge, oak doors. Italy was one of the most beautiful sights. The buildings were gorgeous, as was the landscape. It looked even more magnificent at twilight.

I was excited to go to America. I only ever seen it in pictures. Bree had been there multiple times on many occasions. I only ever did assignments in Europe; Aro sent Bree all over the world instead. He only really ever sent me if they had powers in the coven or had the change to have a power.

I never heard of the place Bree and I had to go to. It was some small town called Forks that was in Washington State. Aro told us that the Olympian Coven's size was currently at eight by the rumors going around. I sighed. Two against eight… lovely.

Well, if it turned into a fight, I know we would win. It didn't matter that we had our powers; we were the Volturi! We were born to train and fight. Numbers didn't mater. Hell, a newborn army of fifty would be easy!

Bree and I stopped at a Washington tourist shop and bought a map of Washington to see if we could fine the stinking town.

"There!" I pointed to the word 'Forks' which was close to a town named La Push, I had no clue why that name was familiar so I just shrugged it off.

"How long 'til we get there?" Bree asked impatiently.

"About ten minutes. Then we just follow their scents."

We headed off without anymore questions. _What did I get myself into?_ I thought, worry dripping into my head. The last time Bree and I faced a threat together, we were both being burned. I shivered, hoping that we, or at the very least Bree, made it out of here alive.

We were standing in front of a three story white mansion ten minutes later. We stood outside, unsure of what to do or what to say next.

"You go knock," Bree barely breathed.

"Are you nuts?" I said back, almost inaudible. "You go knock."

All of a sudden I felt a pressure against my shield. A talent was trying to work on me. My eyes widened. I quickly moved my shield to cover both Bree and myself. "They have a mind reader!" I whispered more urgently and quietly than before.* Her eyes widened in fear.

"Carlisle," I heard a musical voice call softly. It was more beautiful than the worlds best symphony. The voice continued. "We have visitors."

Bree and I shuffled our weight uncomfortably. Now it was official; we couldn't make a mistake nor turn back.

The door opened and a blond haired man with golden eyes stood there. He smiled at us. It was a friendly smile, a true smile. It wasn't one of those smiles that people gave only because they felt they had to. It was genuine. That must be Carlisle."

"Hello," he said. "My name is Carlisle. You may come in if you wish and get out of the rain." I didn't even realize it was raining.

I looked at Bree nervously. It didn't go unnoticed by Carlisle. "It's alright. We won't hurt you," Carlisle said in a gentle voice.

I sighed as Bree looked at me with an eyebrow raised waiting for my decision. I nodded my head and we entered the house nervously.

I had to give these vampires some credit; their house was gorgeous. The inside was like nothing I had ever seen before. The back wall seemed to be made entirely of glass. The first floor seemed to be too big - like a few walls were removed - but it worked well with the design of the rest of the style. The house looked like it was straight from the early 1900s.

It seemed like the whole coven was in the room, which they probably were. Carlisle went to stand beside a caramel haired woman who was smiling at us warmly. There was a bulky man with dimples who had his arm wrapped around a blond girl's waist who could take a stab at your self-confidence by just walking into the room. There was a girl who - for lack of better words - looked like a frustrated pixie. At her side was a blond male with more bite marks on him than I thought anyone could have. His aura sent a clear message: danger. It was obvious that he had been in many fights, and he clearly never lost. The last two men were standing by themselves. The first one had bronze hair that was really untidy, and the other was a dirty blond who looked to be approximately six foot.

Carlisle cleared his throat. Bree and I turned our heads to look at him. "This is my wife, Esme," he said, gesturing to the caramel hair lady. "Emmett." The one with dimples. "Rosalie." The blond model. "Alice." The pixie. "Jasper." The scary one. "Edward." The redhead. "And Riley." he finished by pointing to the dirty blonde male.

"I'm Bella and this is Bree," I said, gesturing to myself and my sister.

Carlisle was about to speak, but Edward interrupted. "Why can't I read your mind?"

"Why can't I see your future?" Alice asked.

"Why can't I get a read on your emotions?" Jasper asked as frustrated as Alice.

They quickly looked at each other like they were alarmed that they said too much. They were right on that fact: they did say too much. I sighed and turned to look at Bree. We got half of the information we needed. We just had to decide if they were a danger to the Volturi. I looked at them and then back at Bree. "We'll be right back," I told the Cullens who looked confused. "I need to ask my sister something in private."

They nodded so I yanked Bree out the door we came. As soon as we got out of hearing range I spoke. "I think we need to tell them who we are."

Bree's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? That's insane! That's suicide!"

I sighed and started playing with my fingers, a habit I got whenever I got bored or nervous. "I doubt they are much of a threat. Even if they are, it would be better for them to know who we are not rather than have them figure out later and get angry."

Bree's face softened slightly, and I could see that my logic was working on her. I was always the smart on in the family. "Even if it doesn't work, we will be fine. With my talent, we would be sure to win in a fight."

She looked into my eyes and saw the truth in them. "Fine," she finally agreed, "but if anything goes wrong, you're the one who's to blame."

"Of course."

We ran back to the room of potentially harmful vampires who would soon know almost everything about us. I sighed again. I sat down on the couch and looked at them. "Even though we don't need to sit, I suggest you do since your in for a long story." I saw the confused looks on their faces and explained. "I guess it's time to tell my…" I looked at my sister. "_our_ story."

*** I enhanced Bella's talent a little more. She can block every talent and physical attack, but I also heightened her sensitivity. She gets a similar flavor/feeling when a certain type of talent is trying to work on her. For example, mind reading have a similar feel and a talent of torture has a completely different feel to it. ~JerinAnn**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I spent the next hour telling our story. I told them of our human lives first, and then what powers we possessed. They were stunned to hear of our powers especially my sister's. Edward actually took a step back when he heard about her power. I told them about our creator who saved us from death and the options he gave us. Then I told them about the Volturi destroying our coven then Emmett spoke up.

"It's just like the Volturi to do something like that. They're just like Vultures. And don't get me started on the guard. The guard who thinks they're so high and mighty."

They were all surprised when my sister hissed at them. I just laughed, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. They stared at me like I was crazy. "We are part of the guard," I explained and a few of their faces hardened. "They gave us the option of joining the guard or being destroyed so we obviously chose the first."

My sister hissed again. "And the Volturi aren't bad. They help the world. You are worse than the Volturi!"

I elbowed my sister and was about to apologize for her rudeness when Riley spoke up. "They probably aren't bad. Don't they help keep our world a secret from humans? So they can't be bad."

My sister smiled at him and offered her hand to him. He took it without hesitation and after a minute she looked up at me with a sparkle in her eye.

She found her mate.

I talked to Carlisle for a few more hours while everyone except Edward went their separate ways. My sister left with Riley, Emmett and Jasper went to play a video game, Alice and Rosalie were pouring over a Victoria Secret magazine, and Esme was sketching up in her room.

"So, how is my dear friend, Aro?" Carlisle asked me.

"Same as usual. He's happy, but not content. That's why he sent us to America; to find more talented vampires who might be interested in joining the guard." Carlisle looked uneasily at Edward. "Oh, no! I would never… we would never force anyone to leave their coven. We are mostly looking for nomads," I quickly said. They both looked a little more comfortable.

Edward smiled slightly and was about to speak when the phone rang. Carlisle sighed slightly and got up to answer it.

"Hello?" Carlisle said into the receiver.

_Hello, Dr. Cullen. Dr. Snow is taking a sick day so we were wondering if you could come in. _The person said over the phone.

Carlisle hesitated, but Edward spoke. "It's fine, Carlisle."

Carlisle nodded and said he would be there as soon as possible. He ran up the stairs to get ready. When he came back down, he smiled at me apologetically. He was about to apologize when I cut him off.

"It's alright, Carlisle . You have a job to do. I understand."

Carlisle smiled at me and took off. That left me alone with Edward.

I sneaked a peek at him and quickly looked away when I saw that he was staring at me. "So… uh… how are you?" I asked. I couldn't think of anything else to ask. It was too awkward just being in a room alone with him. My brain instantly melted into mush and I couldn't function properly.

He actually racked a smile. It took me a second to process that. He seemed too serious all the time. "Fair, you?" he asked with a smirk on his lips.

"Eh," I replied looking away from him. I felt like running. Being in this house was madding. This coven acted more like humans rather than vampires!

"What are you thinking?" Edward blurted out. I looked back at him to see his frustrated expression.

"Frustrating to not be able to read my mind, huh?" I asked and smirked when he slowly nodded his head. "I almost always keep my shield up. It feels… wrong having it down because I'm not as protected. It also makes my sister's life easier if…" I trailed off. I couldn't seem to shut up while I was by him.

"Must be terrible having that talent."

I nodded. "She doesn't make contact with people if she can help it. She can't turn off her power. The only person who she could really make any sort of contact with is me, because it doesn't work on me. I think that's the only thing that kept her sane…"

I heard Edward sigh. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

I stared at him blankly. "What?"

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he repeated slowly like I was mentally handicap.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. Was he trying to separate me from my sister?

He looked uncomfortable. He started to whisper to me so low that the other vampires in the house wouldn't be able to hear. "My brother, Emmett, loves to pull pranks on people. He's a big jokester, though his jokes are rarely funny without the expense of someone else's dignity. He's going to come down here in a few minutes to embarrass us."

I nodded and stood up in a flash. "Okay," I agreed quickly. I was in a hurry to get out of here because I hate it when people start to joke about Bree and me.

We walked out of the house and in a random direction in the woods. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I decided to ask him a question that had been on my mind for a while.

"Edward," I hesitated.

"Yes?" he asked with a smile.

"I told you of my past… what was yours like?"

**A/N: The next chapter should be up soon as well. I hope you all are enjoying this story so far. ~JerinAnn**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Edward stopped walking. "What?" he asked in a low voice.

I shifted my feet uncomfortably. "I want to hear about you."

He shook his head. "No," he said in a voice that clearly closed the matter. He started to walk again.

I quickly grabbed his arm gently and pulled him to a stop. I wasn't going to give up that easily. I dropped my hand from his arm as I spoke. "Edward, please. You heard all about my history, why won't you just tell me yours? You don't have to go into detail or anything, you can even skip the stuff you hate, just please."

"Why do you want to know anything about me? Are you only collecting information for your _master?_ Are you only trying to add me to his sick collection?" he spat at me angrily, his hands forming tight fists.

I stared at him shocked and hurt by his words. I don't know why if hurt me so much to here those accusations. Wasn't that why I was here: to gather information on the Cullen clan? No, not this kind of information. Aro didn't need to know Edward's history. I found myself _wanting_ to know everything about Edward. He fascinated me: his mysterious personality, his loyalty for family.

I turned my back to him and started to walk the way we came. "I just wanted to know who I was walking with alone in the forest," I said in a voice just louder than a whisper. Before he could respond, I started running full speed back towards the house… towards my sister.

I didn't stop running until I was in the room I was sharing with Bree. She looked up from the book she was reading, startled. "Bella?"

I couldn't stop myself; I didn't know what came over me. I fell to the floor on my knees with my head bowed into my hands and I started to cry. With a start, I realized the reason: my first crush had broken my heart.

I know it was silly to react like this over a guy, especially one I didn't know, but I couldn't help it. His rudeness, his assumptions all hurt me. But the thing that hurt worst was when he failed to call to me.

**EDWARD'S POV:**

"Why do you want to know anything about me?" I asked angrily. "Are you only collecting information for your _master?_ Are you trying to add me to his sick collection?"

I was angry, I won't deny it. Here was this strange girl who my family invited into our home without a second thought, and she was trying to bring us to her master! It was sick. To think that I was starting to warm up to her and trust her.

She stared at me with a shocked and pained expression on her face. She was the perfect actress. It was no surprise that Aro wanted her as part of the guard. She could bring hundreds of male vampires and humans to their death if he asked her.

She turned her back on me and started to walk the way we came. "I just wanted to know who I was walking with alone in the forest," she said, barely more than a whisper, and then she was gone.

I stood there frozen, unable to move or speak. I wanted to call out to her as she ran, but I was confused, a feeling that I hadn't felt in ninety years. Was this all an act, to bring the information back to Aro, or wais it real? Did she really want to know me, the real me? I never saw anything like her in my whole existence, vampire and human. It didn't help that I couldn't read her mind. I could only guess what she was thinking through her eyes.

Her eyes. Like the majority of our kind, they were red, but at the same time so different. They weren't wild, like an animal. They were kind, gentle, loving, even peaceful. I could read her eyes like they were a book… the most interesting and captivating book. She was fascinating.

I realized with a start that I was beginning to fall for her. I knew the basics of her history, and I was figuring out her personality more by the second. As time went on, I started to like her more and more with every detail I found.

I found my legs again and started to follow her scent. I needed to talk to her, to apologize. I wanted… needed her to know the real me. As she pointed out before, I knew almost everything about her and she so little about me. I was basically a stranger to her, and I didn't like it.

When I approached the house, I could hear sobbing from inside. My dead heart jumped into my throat as I realized that it was Bella. No, she couldn't be crying because of me, could she? No… it wasn't possible. She didn't know me!

I ran into the house and found her in the room we let her and her sister occupy. She was in her sister's arms on the bed. Her head was in her hands, and I could hear in the thoughts of my family that Bree was furious, and that's why they weren't up here.

Bree looked up from her crying sister to see me. I could hear her thoughts now, and it wasn't looking good for me. She didn't know what was going on but knew it had something to do with me, because I was the last person she was with.

She growled at me. "Get out."

I stared at Bella and shook my head and took a step forward. "No," I said in a clear and confident voice that was the total opposite of what I felt. I felt miserable as I watched Bella cry her heart out. Bella's crying stopped when she heard my voice and lifted her head up to meet my eyes with a startled expression.

"Get out!" Bree yelled at me. "You hurt my sister someway and no one's allowed to do that!"

"Bree," Bella said in a soft voice. "It's okay. Let him speak if he wants to. It's his house."

"Yes, but you're our guests, and we gave you this room," I said before I could stop myself.

Bella smiled slightly. "Say what you came here to say, Edward," she sighed.

"I was wondering if we could go for another walk, but this time no one insults the other."

Bella hesitated. "Okay on one condition; no more wild assumptions."

I smiled at her brightly. That was an easy request. "Of course."

She got up from the bed, and Bree tried to stop her. "It's okay, Bree. Trust me," she said as she slipped out the door.

Bree glared at me. She decided to threaten me with her thoughts instead of alarming my whole family who was listening from their rooms. _I swear if my sister comes back crying or with any marks on her, I will rip you apart and scatter all the tiny pieces in every country. It will take your coven a century to find all the pieces!_

I nodded my head and slipped out of the room to find Bella. She was waiting by the edge of the forest where we had walked earlier. She turned to look at me and I could see the guarded look in her eyes. We started to walk in silence for a few seconds.

"So…" she began as she broke the silence. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well… I was wondering if you were still interested in hearing my history."

She stopped suddenly and stared at me wide eyed. "Uh… sure, but if you don't want to, I understand." The look in her eyes contradicted her words. Here eyes were burning with eagerness and curiosity.

_If only you knew how much I want you to know me_, I thought. I nodded my head slightly and began to tell my life story to her.

**A/N: Since I forgot to put a disclaimer on the preface, I guess I will put one here… in the form of a crappy poem.**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Stephenie Meyer is the author**

**As she will always be**

**James will kill me with torture**

**If I claim it was all me**

**I don't own the characters**

**Nor do I own Alice's vision**

**For I did not create the creatures**

**Please, this isn't long division**


End file.
